Student Statistics

[Sparky]

Isaah Refs  /  Zedd Refs

    "Yeah, someone was an asshole!" Zedd called out from the back. The response? A book thrown at the back of his head by some other student, and a dull, dead expression on the face of the professor. Isaah seemed to completely go without noticing the outburst, and raised his hand quietly. Seeing as literally no one else spoke up, the professor gave a nod and the young man answered calmly. 

    "The war of the seasons was sparked between the gods of fire, water, wind, and earth over territory and the rights to the parts of the year, the seasonal cycle that kept the world in balance. The war led to mass death around the world and destruction of most the world's landscape." Short, sweet, and to the point. Isaah had done his research, but he wasn't the type of guy to fluff up his words. And his stony expression could nary be broken, not even by the disgusting jokes his fellow classmates made towards him. Just another reason why he refused to accept any form of friendship from anyone at this damned school. Even though he earned his respect, there was still the backtalk, no matter what. 

    But, there was nothing to be done about that. However, the seasonal war was an interesting topic in the world's history- at least to Isaah, maybe not Zedd. The history of the world, and the violent wars sparked by gods- however few- were a... strange topic to talk on. In fact, there were a good few fellow students he had met that blatantly refused to follow or respect the gods because of the devastating wars. The most "recent" being the war between light and dark, that still sewed bad blood between the two elements, despite the peace between the actual gods. 

    And that was something Isaah understood. He didn't agree, at least not fully, but he understood. Such bloody, violent conflicts ending in the deaths of thousands, solved simply by the ones who started it kissing and making up. It was the reason why cities like Blackmarsh existed. The reasoning's Isaah had heard for the resentment of the gods were mostly tied to those. Gods "Pretending to care" and then getting into an argument and deciding to go to war with one another, dragging in those who didn't even have anything to do with it. And then, once the blood had already been spilled, they all do what should have been done in the beginning and come to a reasonable conclusion without having to lose their lives themselves, and then immediately go back to being buddy buddy and acting like nothing ever happened. It was a fair argument. But Isaah honestly saw more behind all of it. 

    Should people be dragged into the issues between gods? No, no they perhaps should not. But that was a choice of the people who swore allegiance towards the gods. To protect, serve, and even die for their god or goddess if called upon to do so. 

    Whatever the case, they held their beliefs, he held his. That wasn't going to change any time soon.

[[God] - Yuki Shiotaro]

Shion looked over the students, Zedd and Isaah both catching her attention with their answers. Zedd, a class clown and Isaah, the studious one. With Zedd's answers, he got a few small laughs from the class, and Isaah in turn got some sighs and moans. Though the talk of the wars stung a little. She knew it was necessary, and honestly, most of these wars were a little embarrassing. She rested her jaw into her hand, leaning on the desk in a much less formal pose almost like the rest of the student body in the class. Bored to tears in hearing about this topic. She looked back towards the professor as they seemed to deal with this on a near daily basis and continued with the lecture. 

"Correct again Isaah." They turned to write on the board, some other bits of chalk writing around in other spots of the board like they were trained to do so. "As added remembrance, there has been a longstanding event recreating the war in a smaller form, using the champions or avatars representing the gods and competing with each other in a free for all type brawl."

A flicker crossed over Yuki's white irises, but it was too quick for anyone to really detect it if they could even see past white on white. "Until recently, this brawl was actually quite gruesome and bloody, even previous champions taking on a uniform appearance of the biggest and most brutal." Did Aurora write this textbook? That was an oddly specific detail. "However, this was still in remainder years where the gods still had a primal thirst for blood and power. But now the event takes place with fewer casuals." A detail was left out, but that was on purpose to reduce author bias. Even so, it wasn't too important. Yuki seemed to be a mix of bored and on edge but kept it hidden relatively well unless someone studied her enough to catch subtle shifts and motions she made, especially on her face. And this is saying as if you were like actually staring and trying to look for such details.

[Sparky]

Isaah Refs  /  Zedd Refs

   Isaah ignored the class. It didn't bother him. It wouldn't bother him. I'm almost fucking done with this place. Just have to deal with this asinine bullshit a little while longer. And yet something else tugged at him as the teacher moved on. Why the fuck do I keep opening up my damn mouth? Despite the thoughts in his head, his body language gave very little away. Just like Shion, It'd be very hard to notice unless someone was looking closely at him.

    Say, a very annoying lightning mage. 

    Of course Zedd was watching the two of them with a calm curiosity. Shion was new, and Isaah was a closet depressed fuck. But while the young mage could easily tell what was going on with Isaah, Shion was the real interesting one right now. The subtle hints of discomfort in her body language that she tried to play off. But, he couldn't exactly get the full picture without seeing the girl's face. The one bad thing about sitting in back. The boy just needed an opportunity to get a look. 

    And then, like a present from the gods themselves, it fell right into his lap. The teacher had obviously picked up on the fact that the class was drifting off, and was now trying to get them back in the game. She wanted someone to come up and write the answers on the board. The names of the original four gods that started the war. Perfect.

    To the surprise of... well... everyone, the first person to raise their hand wasn't Isaah, but Zedd. The teacher even blinked off a bit of surprise, stepping aside as she let him scribble down the answers. And, messy as Zedd's handwriting may have been, the answers were correct. Aquis, The Bolder, Pyrion, Gale. The latter three were easy, but ever since the emergence of Yuki, most of the newer students tended to forget about Aquis. There were even a few muttered comments on who the fuck "Aquis" was. Despite that, Zedd, turned around with a bright smile on his face- and looked right at Shion and Isaah. 
    
    And there it was, her face. Of course, the change in topic had softened whatever had been going on in her head, but there were still ever so subtle sings lingering there. In her eyes, her features. Interesting. Zedd thought. The boy smiled at the girl warmly, but there it was again, that faint, ever present sense of unease that came with his eyes. As though something was prying ever deeper. 

    Isaah's expression was flat for a moment, breaking only as slight confusion formed. Quietly, he muttered to Shion. "Why does he look so proud over one of the easiest questions?" But, given the decent handful of students still stumped over Aquius, it... might have been tied to that?

[[God] - Yuki Shiotaro]

Yuki looked at Isaah and gave a little smile. [smear:#00fff7]"His intelligence doesn't gain with generic study. He's an empath."[/smear:#0066FF:0], she whispered back. Even if she wasn't who knows how old, she's been around empaths enough to gather a sense of them. The eye contact with Zedd and his smile towards her on his way up was one of the more obvious hints. [smear:#00fff7]"The things they teach in the lecture courses are important for the sake of being aware of the history and ensuring change. Yet some are not as well equipped for that like you are."[/smear:#0066FF:0]

The teacher themselves seemed rather surprised that Zedd was the one to walk up but.. This was one of the easiest questions anyone could answer. [smear:#00fff7]"Isaah, may I see your textbook?"[/smear:#0066FF:0], Yuki whispered, curious to see what contents were actually kept in and which were kept out. The teacher though, kept an eye on Zedd to see if he was answering seriously or not. 

[Sparky]

Isaah Refs  /  Zedd Refs

   Isaah jolted ever so slightly as Shion said Zedd was an empath. Not good. The young man thought, looking at Zedd with a much harsher, more critical and untrustworthy gaze. If that was true, then the goggled idiot knew more about the water mage than Isaah was comfortable with. All the more reason to keep him far, far farther away. Zedd seemed to notice the increase in hostility emanating from Isaah and visibly flinched. 

   The boy quietly handed over his textbook to Shion, not even sparing the girl a glance as he continued to glare at Zedd. Regardless of the whole 'easy' question statement, more than a fair number of students were calling out questions to the teacher about who Aquius was, and a few comments towards Zedd on how the fuck he of all people knew about them. The lightning mage simply shrugged, shit eating grin plastered all over his features.  

    With a sigh, the teacher sent the boy back to his seat, clearing their throat to explain. As an aside, it was pretty obvious which one of the students studied the material, and didn't study. However, everyone just seemed to be shocked that Zedd was someone who studied. Zedd. The human time bomb. The walking health hazard. That was like learning that the ocean wasn't actually made of water and was actually some sort of jello substitute, and everything you've ever known in life was just a complete lie. Zedd being smart and studious? It'd be a lie to say a few students weren't looking out the window expecting to see flames and meteors falling from the sky as the world ended around them. 

    As Zedd retreated to his desk, he seemed to try to avoid Isaah's gaze. For the most part, Isaah had barely tolerated Zedd's presence. The lightning mage originally was just a nuisance, and nothing more. Innocent in it's own right. Like a buzzing fly or gnat. But now something seemed to flip for the water mage. There was no longer any form of acceptance of the goggled boy. And the other young man could obviously tell.

    Once the offensive sight of the other student finally left his vision, Isaah let out a very small 'hmph' noise, and returned his attention towards the teacher, listening as they silenced the class and began to explain who Aquius was, and what his importance was, especially when it came to the war and helping towards its end. Thankfully, it was enough to quiet the noisy students, but a few still grumbled quietly about how Zedd knew about it and they didn't. 

    Speaking of Zedd.

    In the back of the class, he seemed to withdraw slightly, wondering internally what it was he did to turn Isaah against him. Sure, the honors student never really cared about him, but it'd never been real anger? The two had certainly never been friends, despite how much he tried, but the thought of being alone again without Isaah to talk to or pester... it made the boy feel quite empty.

[[God] - Yuki Shiotaro]

Yuki glanced over at Isaah silently as she flipped mindlessly through the pages for a brief moment. Oh dear, that was a mess she started. Her gaze went back through the book, glancing through chapters. After wars were more things involving the gods themselves. Well, at least information that they'd allow to have written about them. That meant some of these chapters were much shorter, muted, shallow. It was obvious that there was something not written in, but she knew well enough that most gods had their secrets.

The first element listed was Arcane, the four seasonal ones after, life and death, time, sky, and some others. She skimmed through the chapters, finding it to be public history and information. Honestly, these chapters all seemed to be set up as more a profile or databank page than anything textbook. Mentioning abilities and known acts, connections and the like. Was history class really that dulled out to include a multi-biography of the pantheon?

She stared into a snippet of Aquis, noticing that it had several images of him that showed a more formal side. History, wars... Acts... Cults... Blah blah blah. She flipped a page and it seemed to open a sub chapter about herself. Well, that was enough reading for one day! Boy does time sure fly! She closed the book without any giveaway or signal that anything particular in the book bothered her and slid it back to Isaah. It seemed to match up with the teacher's lecture, as they were making closing statements and student began to make noise in packing their books up and whispering to each other about Zedd suddenly being a smarter idiot than anyone, literally anyone, would have guessed.

Shion got up and immediately made her way to the door, following the rest of the class out. So, the classes barely changed, the students have though. Many still mulled over Zedd suddenly showing himself to be smart. Was if because of the person visiting? That's what they deduced. She stepped to the side, waiting for Zedd and Isaah, thinking on her next move. The teacher walked by and she exchanged a few words with them, bowing to them slightly as they went to their office to fix up their lectures and push some closer than others. 

As Isaah and Zedd were exiting the room, Yuki looked at the two and spoke, [smear:#00fff7]"I'm going to go see the headmaster and chat with them a little bit."[/smear:#0066FF:0] She straightened her robes and brushed off her sash slightly. [smear:#00fff7]"It shouldn't take too long though."[/smear:#0066FF:0], she said with a smile as she started down the hall. Seemed like there was intent on seeing them again later.

[Sparky]

Isaah Refs  /  Zedd Refs

   The young water mage took his time to collect his things, letting the rest of the class filter out before him. The lecture was... flat. Bland. Short and simple. Just a refresher to see who studied and who didn't. The results were shocking. Pun unintended. As Isaah stood up to leave, his mind drifted back to Zedd. The empath. My guard's been down too much. I've been too lenient with him. Who knows what he's found out about me. I can't let this continue on. 

    "Isaah! Wait!" And there he was. Isaah turned and gave the young electromancer a lethal glare, causing him to shrink visibly. A few of the students passing out the door by Shion stopped to 'Woooah' and 'Ooooh' condescendingly. One making a quip about a "lover's quarrel," which certainly didn't help Isaah's mood any. Infact- fuck those guys in particular. With a flick of the wrist, a sphere of water darted forth, and pinballed off the forehead of one, and into the other. With Isaah keeping the form steady instead of bursting- it hit well and hard enough to leave some red marks and chase them off. Then the hydromage just dropped it. It was water. A tiny thing of water, and it could- and would- be cleaned up easily. 

    Before Zedd could say anything else, though, the boy was already leaving. And there Shion was, waiting for 'The Two of Them.' Unfortunately for her- this little "duo" that was never supposed to exist, was now formally disbanded thanks to the new information unceremoniously dumped onto Isaah's already full plate. The brown haired boy simply nodded at Shion's words, and walked away, leaving Zedd to hopelessly and wordlessly reach out, unable to say anything besides;
    
    "What did I even do wrong...?"

---

    The electromancer slumped, calmly flicking his goggles back up and rubbing the side of his face. He couldn't even say anything to Yuki as she set off down the hall, either. What a terrible day this was turning into. 
    
    He watched as the other water mage walked away, wondering if he should chase after her. Isaah wouldn't- doesn't want me anywhere near him. More than ever. If I follow after him this time... he's probably going to hurt me... but... maybe her? I do still have a few questions for her... so... maybe I could... Like a lost puppy, the young man wandered after the girl.
   
    Zedd didn't have anyone else to really turn to right now. He had no other friends, no one ever wanted to get close. But, even with how mysterious Shion was acting, it was still someone who showed genuine interest and kindness towards him. So at least the boy could have... someone to attach too, at least momentarily.  Talk to her, not have to worry about being picked the fuck up by a blond douchebag, you know. The little things. "H-hey Shion! Wait up!" 

[[God] - Yuki Shiotaro]

Yuki stopped and turned to see Zedd running up after her. In contrast to Isaah, she was still one with a friendly face. [smear:#00fff7]"Yes Zedd? What is it?"[/smear:#0066FF:0] Though she had a suspicion some of it was Isaah. She still had a smile on her face but it was a little sad. [smear:#00fff7]"If it has to do with Isaah, that's probably my fault. He didn't seem to realise that you were an empath."[/smear:#0066FF:0], she said, turning towards the direction she was heading the moment he caught up to her side. Isaah was smart, no doubt. But he wasn't keen on people. Part of that was because he shut people out, but part of it was more than his intellect went in the opposite direction of Zedd's. 

She let out a little sigh. It didn't seem like she was going to shake Zedd off anytime soon, but that didn't seem to bother her. Even as friendly as he was, he knew to keep secrets, so she figured that would be okay. The mage began to make her way to the headmaster's quarters again, this time making sure that she was going at a pace that Zedd could keep up with. A quick glance to his face, it seemed normal on the outside but...[smear:#00fff7] "You seem stressed on a few things. And I know you have questions. Ask away."[/smear:#0066FF:0], she said with a friendly tone.

[Sparky]

[Refs]

    "Ah... I was, kinda wondering what it was that upset him so much." Zedd tried to laugh it off as he rubbed his shoulder slightly. It didn't really work that much. "I've been trying to keep that fact away. I mean, originally it was just being good at reading people. But after a while it's not that hard to figure out how people tick like that. Isaah... he... well you saw, he doesn't like people prying into his head like that."

    Well, a lot of people didn't. It's one of the big reasons why he shut up about what was going on in someone's head. Either he chased someone off, or he got a freshly made knuckle sandwich express delivered and head fed into his mouth. 

    It's why the young electromage didn't admit to it. Especially to someone as guarded as Isaah. Also, he didn't entirely consider himself an empath. Empath-like, maybe. He was just... good at reading people. Although, if Shion  was saying he was an empath, it was pretty hard to keep up that argument. The boy quickly snapped out of his thoughts when Shion spoke up again, taking a moment to register what she said.

    "As far as questions go, honestly, I have- er, had a fair bit. But, I think I'm just gonna cut to the chase." Zedd looked at the young woman dead in the eyes, gaze unflinching. "You're not who you say you are, are you?"     
   
    The boy continued. "I mean, ever since you showed up, I've just had this weird, nagging feeling. And the way you reacted to certain things... forgive me for being bold to assume, but, I don't really think you're just some normal water mage."

    Zedd had more questions he'd wanted to ask to narrow things down, gauge her reaction. Things like where she was from, favorite pass-times, what she thought of the history class or history in general. Just stuff to really home in. Not only that, but she just felt... way stronger than anyone else he'd met so far- and there were some tough motherfuckers in this school, from the students, to the teachers, to guest speakers. Maybe "Shion" was some sort of secret military mage, or, hell, maybe even a champion in disguise, scouting for potential. Whatever the case, he knew his senses hadn't failed him so far. They couldn't fail him now.

    "I don't plan on telling anyone, of course. I'm just... you know, really curious. Especially curious on what your real reasons behind coming here are, following around Isaah and I. Just to observe? To test the students? The teachers? The Academy has a grand reputation to uphold, so scouting potential isn't out of the realm of possibilities. Hell, many of the last year honors students were scouted by elite organizations. So what's the truth for you?" Zedd quirked a brow, eye's burning with an intense curiosity. If the girl thought she could pop in another lie now of all times, she was probably going to find the human lie-detector calling her bullshit before it even escapes her lips. 

    He was on her case and he wasn't backing down.

[[God] - Yuki Shiotaro]

She seemed unphased despite his gaze being so intense. A simple look into his eyes and she moved back to in front of her.[smear:#00fff7] "Your senses are very keen. I'm not here to scout potential. But I am here for a personal measure on the school and how it runs."[/smear:#0066FF:0] Why would she lie about her motives? Identity, yes. Because an elite mage is still treated differently from a god or champion. [smear:#00fff7]"However, even the most empathic people need to learn to hold their curiosity. It can lead to dangerous situations for everyone."[/smear:#0066FF:0]

She turned a corner, making sure few people were listening in.[smear:#00fff7] "I don't doubt you'd keep secrets. And I'm more than certain you'd find out soon enough."[/smear:#0066FF:0] She paused in her line of thought.[smear:#00fff7] "Actually... Maybe you can help me out with this." [/smear:#0066FF:0]Yuki took the most direct route to the headmaster's office, she knew where she was going to take shortcuts hidden in the walls. [smear:#00fff7]"I'm not sure who knows the inner workings of the school but, the walls have secrets too. Be sure to use them to avoid trouble if you're not confident in facing it."[/smear:#0066FF:0] She was referring to Damien and anyone else that wanted to use Zedd as a pincushion of course. Hardly anyone noticed the two slip through walls, it just appeared like they were entering a room or doing down a hallway unless you were staring directly at the secret passageways.
[smear:#00fff7] "I.... would advise against letting Isaah learn about these. I know he'd hole himself up in here."[/smear:#0066FF:0]

Some paths were behind paintings and pillars, others were actually just magic gaps in the walls that would open on a desire for a passage through. They'd step onto a square platform that lit up in blue runes, rising up to match the floor of the Headmaster. The goddess was making sure to not say anything until they made it to the office. A few snowflake-esque runes glowed at her fingertips as she wrote in the air, the runes vanishing and seemingly nothing coming out of it.

She knocked on the door, runes lighting up in a vibrant yellow showing grand arcane circles and a flash as the door opened. A grand entrance was necessary, she guessed. In there were two people, the headmaster themselves and someone black as night with glowing freckles floating off to the side.[smear:#00fff7] "Aurora, glad you could make it."[/smear:#0066FF:0]

As the doors closed behind Zedd, Yuki took a seat. [smear:#00fff7]"Headmaster, I'm sure you didn't expect me to be here."[/smear:#0066FF:0] Of course, she didn't schedule anything. [smear:#00fff7]"But I did come here for a random assessment of your school."[/smear:#0066FF:0] As she said this, her form shifted to show who she really was but unmoving. [smear:#00fff7]"The classes are up to standard save for student safety. Aurora, I know you wrote the history books, thank you for keeping privacy of the other gods."[/smear:#0066FF:0]

[smear:#00ff66]"No problem chief. Pretty sure some of them would do more than ring my neck if I did include the stuff I knew. Who's the kid?"[/smear:#FFE959:0], she asked, looking at Zedd. Aurora was outward and open on the surface, but damn her pry game was strong. Zedd wouldn't be able to get a good read out of her. Of course, she's the super secret master of information keeping and bound to sheer neutrality. No one could dig anything out of her unless it was Arcanus.

[smear:#00fff7]"Ah, right. This is Zedd."[/smear:#0066FF:0], she said, gesturing to the sparkplug of a student. [smear:#00fff7]"He's actually one of the students I saw getting bullied. But... I would like to get more sufficient proof of the student conducting these actions so that any punishment he'd get is proper and not the generic detention or suspension method."[/smear:#0066FF:0] Because when did that ever work?

Aurora grinned. [smear:#00ff66]"Ahah, that's what you wanted me for. Stealthcamming. Gotcha." She's had more than enough practice to snoop around and mask herself from the craftiest of mages."[/smear:#FFE959:0]

[Sparky]

[Refs]

    Zedd followed along, wondering silently how Shion knew all these places. If she really meant that she was just an elite mage, though he had the same, distinct nagging feeling that she was still lying about that part. Or... well... at least hiding some portions still. It was obvious that the newfound knowledge was overloading the boy slightly, but the real kicker, the thing that lit the fuse and set it all off- was the big, final reveal. 
    
    It was like a miniature explosion erupted in the poor boy's head. His hair stood on end, with a dumb expression plastered on his face, and to add a little emphasis on the fact that his brain was currently in full meltdown electricity was sparking and zipping off his head. The headmaster, however, didn't seem all amused by Zedd currently emitting a fire hazard, and much less amused by the presence of deities in his office making demands. 

    Once he was mentioned, though, Zedd quietly and vigorously waved his hands in some motion to try and get Yuki to, well, not do this. This was not the hill Zedd wanted to die on today. But unfortunately, he no longer had a say in this. The headmaster was a tall, lean man with sharp, handsome features and short, jet black hair combed neatly to the left. He looked good for his age, to say the least, but the permanent, serious frown his lips were pursed into didn't do the man many favors. He didn't seem to have talked to Aurora much, simply waiting patiently. While the city skyline outside the grand windows of his office provided a gorgeous backdrop, it contradicted the hard, stoic stance he was in, hands laced behind his back professionally. Upon his desk, alongside a clock and a mounted gemstone, a nameplate read "Headmaster Valiant."
   
    "Welcome to my office, Ms. Shiotaro. Or, should I say Goddess Yuki? Formalities when it comes to gods and goddesses can be quite fickle." His voice was monotonous, clear cut. He didn't seem to be all too intimidated. Zedd continued to fizzle and pop where he stood as he watched this all go down, wondering quietly how the hell he got into this mess. I just wanted to get through the day and go back to my room, not have a goddess play mother figure towards my headmaster.

    "I do appreciate you taking the time to view our grand halls, I've heard that many of Avalon's Deities no longer wish to toy with the going-ons of us mortals. If you've seen an incident of bullying, I'd appreciate specifics on the student and situation in question. However, I fail to see what sort of punishment would be proper to you. While we do pride ourselves on our status as a high class academy for up-and-coming elite mages, simply kicking a student out for a verbal spat or physical scuffle is extreme to say the least."
    
    Though Yuki was a Goddess, the Headmaster was all business, and treated her just like he would treat anyone else in this situation. A mechanical hand shifted out from behind and went to his tie to tighten and adjust it, while blue eyes studied the trio with an almost hauntingly dead gaze. The man was like a talking manikin, or a machine in a man-suit. 

    If Zedd got a read on him, he wasn't saying anything.

    Dress shoes shuffled across the carpeted floor as the man moved back to his desk, slowly, calmly settling down into his chair. His gaze flickered over to Zedd as he spoke. "Mr. Kastan, please, take a seat yourself. You don't have to simply stand there. Make yourself comfortable."

    Zedd hesitated, still sparking a bit as he shakily and sheepishly approached the only chair left unoccupied, quietly dropping into it and wishing nothing more than to sink into its material and disappear from this situation.  Everything felt so awkward, and, to be completely fair, despite the cold, cool head the Headmaster was showing, Zedd could tell that, aside from tired, the man was secretly feeling just as awkward. Well, when you're presented with not one, but two fucking deities that rule the world you live in, there's really no other choice than to feel awkward. Especially when you're trying to remain as a status symbol in-front of your student, in your own school no less. 

    How can you really play it or act when you're talking to a literal god? Hell, maybe Zedd was projecting a bit here, but sitting next to a goddess made him feel small. Smaller than small, he felt like a pebble. Insignificant. Like a toddler alongside his mother in an elementary school principle's office. It made the boy wonder why anyone even really tried when they were around gods at all? What point was there when they were so far out of everyone's league just by their mere existence alone. The young electromancer really didn't like it, and he wished he was anywhere else but here.

[[God] - Yuki Shiotaro]

Yuki tilted her head to the side, exchanging glances with Aurora. [smear:#00fff7]"I'm... not quite sure where you heard that from because that's simply untrue. Many of the gods still interact with mortals as much as they can."[/smear:#0066FF:0], she said. She shook her head, that was besides the point. [smear:#00fff7]"I wasn't going to go as far as expulsion, but something does need to be put in place to ensure that this won't happen again."[/smear:#0066FF:0]

Aurora had mindlessly opened up a panel of light, in an aquagreen colour, and tapped on it. Starchart runes appeared, giving information that no one in the room could read. [smear:#00ff66]"But first, you want to get proof of how bad it is."[/smear:#FFE959:0], the avatar said, tapping on three areas of the screen.

[smear:#00fff7]"Correct. And I would like to get this in the most pure and simple form possible."[/smear:#0066FF:0] Yuki laced her fingers over each other, settling back into the chair.[smear:#00fff7] "I noticed that, between my visits, the school has been more accepting of students that show potential despite their status. However, The student body retains a cold air to those of a lesser standing than the elite and that's not something I can tolerate. There are many great magic schools out there, but they all share similar issues."[/smear:#0066FF:0] She let out a sigh and ran her fingers through a stand of hair. [smear:#00fff7]"School reputation includes student safety, not just producing grand mages. As I'm sure you're aware, if anyone finds out that the school is not capable of keeping the students safe, you'll have more than just a tarnished name."[/smear:#0066FF:0]

Aurora kept quiet, tapping lightly across the screen and producing more runes. Was she recording this or just doing something else while listening? Was Yuki overstepping her boundaries? Probably a little.[smear:#00fff7] "The last thing I want to see is a school suffer because of one spoiled brat of a student ruin things for so many others who worked hard to get here. That takes away morale."[/smear:#0066FF:0] Aurora coughed. [smear:#00ff66]"So what's the plan?"[/smear:#FFE959:0]

Yuki looked at Aurora and then the Headmaster, she was rambling again. [smear:#00fff7]"I'm going to disguise myself as a student, one that has questionably been there but kept silent until now. However, I'm not going to try to force the hand of this student. I want them to react on their own. And I want you to record this Aurora. I hope this is alright with you, Headmaster Valiant."[/smear:#0066FF:0]

[Sparky]

[Refs]

    Oh jeez, this was getting a bit intense. These two hyper serious motherfuckers were cranking the notches up more and more and Zedd was just sitting here frying his brain like an egg on a ripping hot skillet. Maybe if he sparked enough he'd actually burn his brain out? Maybe then he could be away from whatever this was. The boy shifted uncomfortably as Headmaster Valiant replied to the literal fucking god before him with more calm and composure than anyone Zedd had ever seen in his life pull.

    "I believe that adversity breads development. While I do agree that extreme cases of bullying cannot stand, it is a good thing to remember that the real world is not as merciful or polite. These were things I failed to learn properly as a young mage until it was presented to me far too late." Valiant made sure that when he laced his fingers together, his movements would draw a bit more emphasis on the mechanical prosthetic. "Unlike most academies, there is more than just a reputation we have to keep. We have a promise, to develop these students so they can properly face the harsh reality infront of them. Many of the students in this school plan on going into combat careers, or plan on serving their gods on the front lines. It's my job to make sure that when someone tries to kill them, they don't shit their pants and cry for mommy as their spines are crushed underfoot."

    Valiant paused and sucked in a deep, deep breath as he pinched the bridge of his nose with his metal hand. There was a moment as he collected himself. Too much of his old war veterancy slipped through when it wasn't supposed to. Then he returned his hands back where they were, and he started again. 

    "We try to encourage our students to handle these things themselves, peacefully if possible. And if it needs to come to blows, we try to arm them with the skills, and protect them with the proper tools so they aren't maimed. Defeats are meant to act as catalysts and inspirations to improve one's capabilities and try again- a chance not many get in the real world, as I'm sure you understand." The Headmaster cleared his throat and shifted. Zedd seemed to shy away from the man's gaze. He hadn't exactly... thought about most of the intentions and reasons behind what the school did. And, while he knew that the school prepared many students for those roles, Zedd had only really... come to this school just because of it's reputation alone. It really made him think about why he was here. What he wanted to accomplish. However, he didn't have much more time to  think on that before Headmaster Valiant started again. "Regardless, I understand that not everything can be worked out this way. And if it really is as bad as you say, it cannot remain as is. So, for the time being I'll play along with your plan and judge the situation accordingly."

    "So, the real question is; What exactly is your plan, what disguise do you plan on taking, and how do you plan on- dare I say- instigating it in the first place?" Both Zedd and the Headmaster seemed to pause and stare at Yuki on the 'Instigation' part. It wasn't too hard to understand that if she personally instigated the conflict, it was going to work more against her than actually in her favor, and if she planned on baiting some sort of trap, there was no guarantee that it would be sprung. She was really at a disadvantage here. 

[[God] - Yuki Shiotaro]

Aurora glanced over occasionally from whatever it was that her panel has on it to Zedd. A new face and some reactions that made it painfully obvious. She'd just wait until there was a window to speak though. "I'm not sure Zedd's up to that task.", she said, taking note of his reaction to something the Headmaster said.

Yuki knew enough of the real world to know what Valiant said had some truth to it. It would be wonderful if everyone got along, but that's never the case. [smear:#00fff7]"Even so, a school should be a place that enforces good relations amongst one another to help battle that."[/smear:#0066FF:0], she said. It was impossible to make everyone do so willingly, she knew that. Unfortunately for Valiant, his slight flash of a metal appendage didn't really seem to draw Aurora or Yuki's eye. Aurora was too focused with her panels and Zedd, Yuki already knew of those kinds of moves to remain unphased. [smear:#00fff7]"So then, what are you going to do about students that aren't able to defend themselves or are unwilling to? Is there not a specialised course that would help them better defend themselves? And for those that will refuse?"[/smear:#0066FF:0] Kick them out probably.

Aurora cleared her throat. "Not to butt in here, but there have been a few cases scattered across schools where murders were not committed because of rules like these, but left some students in a condition where they would see the infirmary more than their homework." If it weren't for fomalities, she'd totally be all 'WANNA SEE' but nah. Valiant wasn't the kind to take asshole humour like that, at least not in this setting. Even then, Valiant seemed to want to play into whatever hair brained scheme the goddess might have. Maybe it was because of her status. Now you see, Aurora knows Yuki's schemes are hairbrained. A stereotype that holds true, shapeshifters have a mischeivous nature, and Yuki was no exception.

Yuki crossed her arms and leaned back in the chair, crossing a leg over. [smear:#00fff7]"I only have two ideas. We can either have this student go in a proper duel against one of his primary students or..."[/smear:#0066FF:0] Here it comes. [smear:#00fff7]"We can catch him in the act and see what to do about it from there."[/smear:#0066FF:0]

Now, one is much more likely to happen than the other. And the other... well.. That's just Yuki wanting to mess with a crowd of people but also teach a lesson in a very obscure fashion.

[Sparky]

[Refs]

    Valiant didn't make any comment on those of the goddess or the avatar. He'd already made his statement on how issues are typically handled, whether the student was in fora combat course or something more passive. As the man had said, students were typically encouraged to sort things out themselves. Problem solve, and if cases were inconsolable, or became too violent or destructive, then the school would handle it properly. 

    Meanwhile, Zedd preferred being left out of this for the time. Especially away from Aurora's comments. He felt like he was just watching as his mother fought with his principle. It was strange and confusing and it was definitely not what he had expected out of the day when he crawled his staticy ass out of bed this morning. The kid just wanted to go back to his room and crawl up into his bed. Throw some blankets over himself and pretend literally none of this happened. It was just bad luck that it had to be Yuki who came across Zedd today. Everyone else could have ignored it, or maybe just passed on a few words that could have easily been ignored. 

    But no, now he's stuck here. 

    Cool cool.

    "A bout with a god against a student? Hm. While I do suppose that would be one way, I doubt it'd really be enough to humble him. Which student do you plan on replicating?" Zedd let out a small groan, this was so annoying now. The young man felt like a bystander in his own life. Like some sort of child. Admittedly, Valiant didn't feel anymore comfortable having to try to save face against literal gods. Both men were... not having a very good day today it seemed. 

    Valiant shut his eyes and slowly rubbed his temple as he continued, working the metal fingers against his skin. "And as far as catching this student in the act, I suppose as long as you're not actually using one of my students  s the bait, then I can let something like that slide. As long as no one is maimed or killed in the process, you're allowed to do as you wish."

    "Um. Sorry to interject but, one small problem." Zedd began, lifting a finger. "Which student would she be impersonating? I mean, if she tried playing as me, there's one big problem in that- she's not a lightning mage? And, I mean, if anything goes wrong or she just plays my personality the wrong way, I'm sure someone will notice something wrong. Is... is no one picking up on any of these potential problems? I'm hearing a lot of "Yeah, aight, you do you" but not a lot of actual plan making?"

    "And I mean, while we're on that topic, no one actually asked me about my opinion on this whole situation? What I think of this or what I want to do about this? Which, I would quickly and easily say- I genuinely do not care. Yeah, it's annoying, yeah some days it's excessive, but it's quite literally the least of my worries, even while it's happening. Like, I'm a big kid, I don't need someone to come in and baby me because someone said some mean things to me!"

    Zedd huffed and slumped back, sparky slightly from his little outburst. Valiant quirked a brow, and seemed to consider the input. 

    "So he does speak." Came the calm, casual response. "Unfortunately Mr. Kastan, while you're input is noted and appreciated, this is a far greater issue than just your isolated incident. For now, I wish to follow along  with the Goddess's plan and gauge the situation for myself." 

    The young electromancer did not seem entirely happy with that response, but he didn't seem surprised either. So, he really was just being treated as a little kid while the grown ups had their own little discussion. Real nice way to waste a perfectly fine day.